What Ifs and Whisky
by RositaLG
Summary: Booth, scotch, and a broken heart. A birthday fic for Biba79.
1. White Blank Page

**A/N: I know what y'all are thinking. Didn't you just post a birthday fic for Sunsetdreamer this morning? Yes, yes I did. But it's a very special 48 hours in the Mob as Biba's birthday is today! Two birthdays in two days. That's a Mob power surge if I ever heard of one! **

**What can I say, B? You are my very own Fanfiction Jiminy Cricket: the animated character who sits on my shoulder, clears her throat and points to her watch. I wouldn't have half of my stories done without your encouragement! :D You are also the sociopath who captures angst better than I could ever even imagine. And while I know that this isn't as high on the angst-metER as you deserve, contrary to previous belief, I do actually have a small piece of a soul and this is as angsty as I could go without losing the rest of it completely. Lol. I hope it does the job. Love you! Happy Birthday!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, Mumford and Sons, or anything actually. But what a perfect world it would be if I did. **

**OOOOO**

_A white blank page and a swelling rage, rage__  
><em>_You did not think when you sent me to the brink, to the brink__  
><em>_You desired my attention but denied my affections, my affections___

_So tell me now, where was my fault_

_In loving you with my whole heart?_

_Oh tell me now, where was my fault_

_In loving you with my whole heart?_

"_White Blank Page"-Mumford and Sons__  
><em>

OOOOO

He looked down into his glass and the bartender refilled it without being asked. He still couldn't believe that he was in this position…again. The third time was supposed to be the charm. He took the shot in front of him bitterly. God, what had he been thinking in letting himself believe that anyone could love him the way that he loved them? Hadn't he learned his lesson? Clearly, something was wrong with him on a deep level for him to be that delusional. He heard her footsteps before he saw her. He knew the sound of her footsteps better than he knew his own. Pressing his fingers into the bridge of his nose, he wondered just how she had found him. She was the second to last person in the entire universe that he wanted to see right now. He could feel her eyes on him but he didn't look up as she slid onto the barstool next to him.

"Are you drunk?" It was a simple question, but it ignited the rage he was trying to shove down into his soul and drink away. He shook his head shortly.

"Relatively." He paused. "Relatively I'm drunk, meaning I am drunker than usual but no, I am not a drunk." Brennan furrowed her eyebrows at his statement, concerned for him.

"You sound…something." She said, unsure of how to describe it. "Hannah called." She informed him. Booth exhaled sharply and winced in pain at the name.

"Just…" He cut her off with a wave of his hand, unable to hear that name right now. The tears flooded his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He chuckled humorlessly at how reliably tactless his partner really was. "I really, I-I- I don't want to talk about that, 'kay? I'm just…I'm over it, I'm over it. I'm done, 'kay?" He didn't mean the last syllable to plead so softly with her, but he was desperate to drop the conversation. Even she had to understand that.

"So…what happens next?" She asked hesitantly, wanting to know what he wanted to talk about instead.

"What happens next?" He said, her question bringing him right back to his enraged state. That had been what _she_ had asked him. What was wrong with these women? "What…" He dropped the question he really wanted to ask and tried again. "I mean, you like evidence, right Bones? Well, he…here's the evidence. The evidence is that there is something wrong here." He pointed to himself. "Now, I-I fell in love with a woman. I had a kid. She doesn't want to marry me. Well and, and then the next woman...well she's…" He didn't finish; there wasn't a word to describe her.

"Me."

"Yeah. And now…" he gestured. "I mean, what is it with women who just don't want what I'm offering here?"

"Booth..." She said, simultaneously feeling sympathetic for his pain and wanting him to understand where they were all coming from.

"No. Just, you know what, drink, drink." He commanded her, unable to hear it right now. "I'm just really…" He paused to take the shot. He slammed the glass down on the bar. "I'm just mad. I'm just really mad at all of you. Alright, I'm just mad. Okay, so you want to know how this is going to work? Okay, this is how this is going to work. Me and you are partners. That's what we do, we're partners. Alright? And I love that. I think that's great. And uh, we're, we're good people who catch bad people, right?" She nodded her head as she tried to catch what he was talking about through his drunken rage. "Yeah, and, and, and we argue and we, we go back and forth, we're partners. And sometimes after we solve a case, we come here and we celebrate. That's what we do. We celebrate. So as far as I can see, that is what happens next." He said definitively. "Are you okay with that?" He asked her. She didn't respond. "Great, because, you know, if you are, tell you what, you stay here, and you have a drink with me. Alright, maybe, uh, we have a little small talk, chit chat, and if you're not, well, you can leave." He said as his voice broke. "There's the door." He murmured softly, his heart breaking even more at the thought that she would actually do it. "And uh, tomorrow, I'll find you a new FBI guy."

"Those are my only choices?" She clarified.

"Yeah." He cut her off. "Those are your only choices." He couldn't look at her, convinced that she was going to walk out the door, like every other woman in his life had always done, herself included.

"Then I'll have a drink." She said gamely as she threw back a shot on his behalf. They both raised a finger in unison, beckoning the bartender for another round. He filled them up again and glanced at Brennan for approval. She simply nodded. But there would be no more alcohol after this. She would take over from here.

OOOOO

Brennan helped Booth into his apartment as she shut the door behind them quietly. She wasn't sure what to expect, but there was no evidence that Hannah had ever been there. Apparently, a nomadic existence left no trace evidence behind. She couldn't say that she minded. This would be easier on everyone, herself included.

"You're always honest, Bones, so be honest with me, kay? What do I do wrong?" Booth asked as Brennan led him to his bedroom.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Brennan asked as she pulled down the comforter for him and he sat down.

"Why don't any of you want me?" He asked her. "What do I do wrong?"

"We all wanted you." She admitted honestly. "Every one of us."

"Funny way of showing it." He muttered bitterly as he fumbled with his shoes. She wanted to explain, but she knew that would only end up putting the blame on him, and that wasn't fair. The only thing he did wrong was love them blindly, and how could that be a sin? Instead, she went to the bathroom and wet a washcloth for his face.

"Booth, you should know that I'm not going anywhere." She promised as she wiped a cold washcloth over his forehead. "You can't push me away anymore."

"Why not?" He asked her.

"Because you are the most important person in my life." She said as if it were common sense. "You're my partner." Booth simultaneously found himself wanting to kiss her and hating her for saying something like that to him. Instead, he climbed into bed, tears threatening to fall as he listened to the sounds of her leaving him in peace. After the door closed behind her, he closed his eyes to say his nightly prayer. Tonight, it was only one line.

"Why her?"

OOOOO

When Booth opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a room that he hadn't been in for over twenty years. Confused, he looked around him, wondering how he had gotten here. He heard humming coming from the kitchen and despite the fact that he was almost forty years old, he nearly ran to the sound.

"Ma?" He managed to choke out the word before staring dumbfounded. The sight of his mother standing over the stove cooking was almost too much to bear. Her dress, her heels, her hairstyle, it was exactly the same as he always remembered it.

"Seeley, come try this." She said as she held out the spoon, her hand protecting the floor from drips as she guided it towards him. He was frozen, but he couldn't deny her anything so he moved forward, his feet working autonomously from the rest of his body. He tasted the marinara sauce that he hadn't had in 30 years. "What do you think?"

"It's perfect." He said. She smiled proudly and kept stirring. "Ma, what are you doing here? You're dead."

"I'm cooking for my son." She said logically. Booth just stared and she couldn't help but chuckle at his face. "Okay, if this is all in your head, _you_ tell _me_ what I'm doing here." She told him, wanting him to figure it out for himself.

"I don't know." He said honestly, still flabbergasted by the sight of his mother and her newfound ability to read his mind.

"You asked a very serious question." She told him, her voice hinting at disapproval. "You wanted to alter your past." She said. Booth stared at her, wondering how much she knew. "I'm well aware of the situation." She said with a smile. "I've always liked Temperance. She's good for you. Keeps you on your toes." She smiled and he felt an ache deep within his chest. God, he had missed that smile. She pushed him over to the table and sat down a plate of pasta in front of him. "Now, tell me why I'm here." She said. Booth stared at the food in front of him and when he looked up into his mother's caring eyes he suddenly felt five years old again.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Ma." He said, the emotion breaking in his voice.

"Come here." She said as she wrapped him in a hug. Booth buried his face in her neck and was hit with the smell of baby powder. He had forgotten that she always smelled like baby powder. "We'll start at the beginning and tackle one problem at a time." She informed him.

When Booth pulled away to ask her what she was talking about, he realized that the environment had changed. He was now standing in the classroom where he had first laid eyes on Temperance Brennan. It was empty, but she was standing at the front of the classroom, teaching. She was completely oblivious to the two new guests who filled the only chairs in the room.

"Do you remember this moment?" His mother asked him.

"Of course I do. It was the first time I ever saw Bones." He said as he took her in. "What are we doing here?"

"We're starting at the beginning." She said as she looked towards the doorway. Booth was surprised to see a younger version of himself slip in the back door. "This is when you first knew?" She asked more than stated.

"I don't know what I knew." He said honestly. "I just felt… something."

"Fate." His mother offered. Booth nodded as he watched his partner meet, well, himself for the first time. "Do you know what she thought when she first saw you?" Booth stared at his mother and shook his head slowly. "She was instantly attracted to you."

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"A woman always knows." She smirked. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"Late for what?" He asked as his mother took his hand.

"You'll see." She said.

OOOOO

Booth found himself in his old office. He glanced at the folder on the desk and he knew why they had come to this moment. Cleo Eller. Although, at the moment, he, or, the other version of himself, didn't know that the remains belonged to Cleo. Not until Bones did the identification and Angela drew up the sketch on the Angelator. He watched as the younger version of himself sighed in frustration on the phone.

"No sir, she refuses to cooperate with us. I tried everything. I…" He closed his eyes. "Yes sir. I understand." He hung up the phone and sighed.

"Bones refused to take my calls." He smiled at the memory. "I had to trap her at the airport." He informed his mother.

"Not in this version." She said. "In this version, you don't convince her to come back." Booth furrowed his eyebrow. "You wanted to see what would happen. I'm showing you. This is your life without Temperance Brennan." His mother said as they left the office.


	2. Nightmares and Fantasies

"What do you mean, my life without Temperance Brennan?" Booth repeated, unable to wrap his head around the idea.

"Be patient, Seeley, I'll show you." His mother scolded his questioning as they whooshed towards the next scene.

When Booth realized he was standing in the lab, he glanced around for some sort of clue as to the year. Instead, he found Angela, Hodgins, and Zack huddled around the front door and Angela was going completely ballistic. She was pacing and vehemently denying something to Hodgins.

"No!" She cried, shaking her head. "I won't let you!"

"Angela, she spent her whole life working with bones. It's sort of poetic…" Hodgins tried to comfort her, but his own emotion got in the way.

"What are they talking about?" Booth asked his mother, the sight inducing his own panicked lilt to his voice. "What are we doing here?"

"If you hadn't gone to the airport that morning and convinced Brennan to start that second case, she would eventually agree to work with other agents of the FBI on an occasional basis."

"No partner?" His mother nodded. Booth didn't like the sound of that at all. "All of the danger and none of the protection."

"For this case, Agent Kenton was the agent she was paired with to solve a series of murders." Booth instantly remembered what that meant for Bones. His mother watched the dawning of realization on his face. "You remember the bodies you found." He managed to nod minutely. His mother began to walk towards Cam's, or someone's office, and Booth once again felt compelled to follow, despite his own inner will knowing what was going to be found inside. The pathologist was playing a tape with Brennan's voice on it.

"Victim is female. Late teens to mid-twenties. Knife marks on the bone, evidence of deep cuts. Probably to open up the flesh, make it….more appetizing for the dogs." The tape stopped and the coroner shook his head as he took out his own tape recorder.

"I am now ready to confirm via DNA and dental records that this is in fact, Dr. Temperance Brennan. The injuries to the body match the description of Dr. Brennan's victims and I feel safe in presuming that this was a retaliatory attack for Dr. Brennan's work on her most recent case." Booth stared at the coroner in shock. He glanced back at the remains on the table, they were completely decimated. There was barely any flesh left to the bones and the eyes were gone. He turned to the nearest trashcan and retched. His mother watched on, unsurprised. How could she be so calm?

Because she was a freaking ghost, he reminded himself.

"This is just one of many potential outcomes." His mother reminded him, reading his thoughts and continuing with her omniscient attitude. The coroner was talking again so Booth paid attention.

"Dr. Brennan's team has requested that the body be macerated before burial." Booth tried to leave but his feet were planted again.

"I want to leave." He demanded.

"Seeley, this is important…"

"I got the freaking message, okay? I want to leave. Now." His mother nodded and Booth, despite feeling sick, suddenly felt bad for yelling at his mother. He had waited 30 years to see her again and now he was screaming at her just like his father used to. She didn't seem to mind as she grabbed his hand and left the room.

"I'm sorry." He said as soon as he could find the words to talk again.

"It's a scary picture." His mother said indifferently.

"So she'd be dead if I wasn't her partner." Booth said, understanding.

"You'd be dead if she wasn't your partner. We're here." His mother said as the blank room became Brennan's apartment. Booth watched as she came into the apartment in a daze. Her shirt and hands were still spattered with dried blood. She walked into her bedroom and caught her own reflection in the full-length mirror. She stood completely still for a moment, taking herself in. Suddenly, the dazed, composed woman frantically tore her shirt off and threw it in the nearest garbage can. She undressed until she was in her underwear and then she ran to her bathroom and frantically began scrubbing her hands, she scrubbed and scrubbed, using a nailbrush until his blood was entirely gone and her own hands were beginning to bleed.

"Bones, stop." Booth begged. He knew that it was useless but he couldn't stop himself from trying to reach out to her. He didn't want her to hurt herself. She was frantic. Finally, she threw the brush into the mirror, fracturing the corner of the glass. She crumpled to the floor as she sobbed alone, practically naked, with soapy pink water dripping from her hands. Booth sat down next to her, knowing that she couldn't feel him, but he wanted to be close to her anyway.

"This was from the night I was shot." He knew by the clothes she had torn off. "She thought I was dead."

"Yes." His mother said softly. Booth was surprised by the change in her tone and he glanced up at his mother.

"Is this what really happened?" He asked. She simple nodded.

"Teddy got to be there when you were on that ship." She said calmly again. "I knew that you needed his help over mine. You were there to learn a lesson. I knew that your team, your brother, they wouldn't let you down." She told him with a smile. "But I wanted to be the one to take you." Her smile fell away. "I couldn't come until you were unconscious. I knew that you would rather spend your last memories on earth looking at her." Booth's throat was swelling shut as he tried not to burst into tears. "When you went unconscious, I finally prepared to see you but…" she paused "I wasn't needed. She saved you and I thank God every day that she did." She knelt down next to him and combed her fingers over his temple and into his hair. It was still as comforting now as it was when he was small.

"Isn't there some sort of version of this story that doesn't end with us dying?" Booth asked his mother. "Is that the only reason that we were put together? To keep each other alive?"

"You want the happy version." His mother smiled knowingly. "You always wanted the happy version." She recalled. "Come on then." She said as she wrapped an arm around his.

OOOOO

Booth flashed back to a barstool and the taste of tequila on his tongue. She was running out into the rain and his former self was following her. This was different. The cab wasn't there yet and she was kissing him senseless. He countered by pressing her against the brick wall. As the cab pulled up, the horn honked and they both ran into the rain.

Before Booth knew it, he felt the now familiar pulling sensation and the scene was gone. He found himself in her kitchen, they were cooking and dancing to Sinatra and laughing. Booth couldn't help but smile at the scene. These scenes were all shorter, faster, flickering before him like the clips from a movie as he watched the progression of their imaginary relationship. The last scene was Brennan stating nonchalantly that she would like to be married to him, should he ever want to ask her. He chuckled, knowing that is exactly what would happen if they ever got the chance. His mother appeared next to him again and she looked at the light on her son's face in the scene.

"Is that what you wanted to see?" She asked. Booth sighed. He had used that tone with Parker enough to know the point she was trying to make.

"I know that it's not real." He said a little too defensively.

"But you wanted to see it anyway." His mother pointed out. "Why?"

"Because it's better than looking at our splattered blood." He said, annoyed at her prodding. His mother knew what he was saying. He had always lived for the ideal, even if it was just a façade.

"Would you rather have perfection that isn't real or reality that seems like perfection?" She asked. Booth stared at her as he took in her words. Before he could respond, they were off into the ether again.

OOOOO

Booth realized that they were on the edge of a cemetery. Everyone on the team was sitting around a grave on blankets, having a picnic.

"I can't believe it's been over a year." Cam said as she picked up her glass of wine. "You know, it dawned on me on the way over here that she was the person who gave me the courage to reach out to Michelle. Without her influence, I wouldn't have ever considered being a mother." Hodgins smiled.

"I wouldn't have met Angela." He said as he looked at his wife.

"And I would have never had a steady paying job." She tried to grin as she cracked the joke, but it ended with her tearing up again.

"I would have never stopped drinking." They all looked up as Jared laid a bouquet of flowers on top of the gravestone. Booth took the time to notice it for the first time. It read _'Temperance Brennan Booth. Beloved Wife, Mother, and Friend._ "Have you seen…?" He asked. They all shook their head.

"He comes alone." Angela said. Jared nodded in understanding. Booth just stared at the family she had created for herself and was in awe of how much she impacted the world around her. He had always teased her about being alone, in the lab, shut away from the world, but in reality, she had changed everyone around her simply by being in their lives.

Soon, he watched as their makeshift family packed up their picnic and left, each one touching the stone before making their way back to their cars. In the distance, he saw an older version of himself holding the hand of a little auburn haired girl. She was the spitting image of Bones and looked like she was only four or five. Booth felt the acid burning in his throat as he glanced to the gravestone again. They had a daughter. He watched as his other self laid flowers on the grave.

"Daddy, why do you bring Mommy daffodils?" The little girl asked as she swayed to and fro, her dress swishing against her little knees.

"Well, because daffodils were Mommy's favorite flower and it's a nice way to remember her." He said as he stood next to the stone.

"But she's dead." She said matter of factly and the invisible Booth didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the mini-squint that might have been his future daughter.

"Come here." Booth said as he picked the little girl up. "We come here to tell Mommy that we remember her and that we love her. We get to talk to her and her spirit in heaven listens."

"How?" The little girl frowned.

"She just does?" Booth said, hoping that would suffice, but knowing that it wouldn't.

"Does she have a telephone?" The little girl asked as she wriggled out of her father's arms to examine the base of the headstone for communicative devices.

"No, baby. She doesn't." Booth shook his head, knowing that he could never explain it to her liking. Thankfully, he saw his son walking towards them. "Hey, go say hello to your brother." He said as he pointed towards Parker.

"Parks!" The little girl ran to her brother and hugged his leg excitedly. Parker picked her up and spun her around. "Do you want to play tag with me?" She asked. Parker glanced at his father who nodded his okay and the two walked right past the unseen observers.

"Do you hear that Bones?" Booth asked as he laid a hand on the stone. "She asks questions like that all the time." He smiled as he choked back the tears. "She's so logical and rational. I can't lie to her, even when I try." He sniffed as he watched his daughter dance in and out of the row of headstones. "She's got your brain and my energy. She's going to be unstoppable." He promised. "I hope you don't mind what I said earlier, about you being in Heaven. I know you probably hate that." He said. "But I hope you understand why I say it. I believe it. I have to believe it." He said, getting choked up again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the tear slid down his cheek. "I miss you so much sometimes it's hard to breathe." He murmured. "I still wake up from time to time and I forget that you're gone." He admitted. "And then there are times when I swear I can smell your perfume, you know, the one I got you for your birthday? It gives me faith that you are still around, still checking in to make sure that we're okay." He chuckled as Parker finally caught up to his sister and spun her around, sending the little girl in circles, squealing in delight. "We're surviving, Bones." He assured his wife. "You taught me that. Some days it's hard, but we always make it through." Parker wrangled his little sister back over towards the gravestone.

"Tell her Happy Birthday." Parker whispered.

"Happy Birthday, Mommy." The little girl said, despite the fact that she didn't understand why they were talking to a polished rock.

"Happy Birthday, Bones." Parker said as he touched the stone and Booth found it hard to breathe once again as the scene melted around him. His mother brought him back to the white room and she saw the tears in his eyes.

"How did she die?" Booth asked his mother. "No one said."

"Does it matter?" She asked. Booth knew that it was a silly question, considering the scene wasn't real, but it did matter. It mattered to him. "You got eleven perfect years together before she died. Would you take it? If you knew how the story ended?" Booth didn't know the answer to that question. "Seeley." She frowned as she admonished his silence. "Maybe you just need a reminder of your own story. The real story." She said as she waved at the blank wall.


	3. Reality: For Better or Worse

Booth watched as the blank walls came back to life but this time, the scenes that were portrayed flickered through the more important aspects of the last five years. There was mistletoe, smurfs, guy hugs and emergency rooms, but through it all, Booth felt the longing of something that he couldn't have. As the squeezing sensation pulled him from the home movies, he found that he was placed in Brennan's office. She was talking to Hannah. Just the sight of her made his heart squeeze a little in his chest. Too soon, he realized.

"One thing, Hannah. I want you to be sure about this." Brennan said, somewhat reluctantly, but sure of what she was demanding.

"The phone?"

"No, although I understand the misunderstanding." She said. "No, about you and Booth moving in together. Booth will give himself to you completely and it would be very painful for him if you aren't as serious about the relationship as he is." _No kidding_, Booth muttered to himself.

"I am." Hannah said. "But thanks though. You're a good friend, Temperance. Seeley's very lucky."

"You are very lucky." His mother said with a smile. "She always puts your interests ahead of her own." She informed her son. Booth pondered that while the scene morphed again. Brennan was in her apartment on the phone. Judging by her face, she was not pleased.

"You told him no?" Brennan said, her eyes closed as she listened to Hannah's excuses. "I told you from the very beginning…" She paused in her frustration to gather her thoughts. "I told you that if you weren't all the way in this relationship that you should get out before you broke his heart." There was another long pause as she listened to Hannah speak. "Yes, I did. But I broke his heart because I wanted to save him eventual pain. I saw what he wanted and I knew that I couldn't provide it so I walked away. Yes, I regret that decision, but I would rather regret that decision now than lead him on and break his heart even more down the road." Brennan was upset now and there was no dealing with Hannah at that point. "I have to go. Booth needs me." She hung up the phone, Hannah's words clearly upsetting her. She rubbed her eyes in frustration and shook off the feeling. "Booth needs me." She repeated to herself, pushing her own feelings aside as she grabbed her coat. Booth watched as she stormed out of her apartment, ready to race to his side. He shook his head, unable to believe that she would do such a thing only to have him yell at her in a few minutes.

"Now we've come full circle." His mother said as Booth found himself standing in his own apartment, watching as his shade stumbled into his bedroom. His mother watched the drunk version of himself for a minute before turning to look at him. "You wanted to know why her?" Booth nodded as he watched himself climb into bed. Sure enough, Bones was right behind him, washcloth in hand. "Because she's everything you need even when you don't want her." Booth watched as Brennan wiped his forehead with the washcloth gently, taking such care with him, telling him that he was important to her. He turned to his mother as she put her hand on his cheek again. "You're a good man, Seeley. Hank made sure of it. Please, listen to your heart. It hurts because you've been ignoring it but it won't steer you in the wrong direction, baby, I swear. Everything will work out in time. You just have to trust the process." She took a deep breath and kissed his forehead. "Be good." She said.

"Ma, wait." He said as he watched her walk out of the room. "Ma!" But she was already gone and she took the illusions with her. Booth closed his eyes as he felt the room spinning one more time. When he came to a stop, he was sitting up in bed. He was drenched in sweat and the entire room was bright. He glanced at the clock. It was mid afternoon. He had slept half the day away.

OOOOO

Booth heard the pounding on his door and had to stop and verify that it wasn't in his head. No, this was a different pounding entirely.

"I'm coming!" He yelled, wincing at the sound of his own voice as he padded towards the door. He didn't bother checking the peephole but once he opened the door, he wished he had. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Brennan told me that you went on a bender last night." Jared said as he walked into the apartment uninvited.

"I must have been a wreck if she sent a drunk to check in on me." Booth said, only half-teasing as he shut the door behind his brother.

"Seriously." Jared agreed. "Are you okay?" He asked. Booth nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just had a bad night." Worry from Jared, this was a new low.

"Did you gamble?" Booth stared at his brother like he was crazy. "Hey, I'm not out of line for asking." He said, defending his question.

"No, I got drunk and came home and…." He stopped, not wanting to sound crazy.

"And what?" Jared asked.

"Fell asleep." He said, covering his tracks.

"You fell asleep." Jared repeated, not buying it for a second. Booth stared at Jared, not sure how much to reveal.

"I had a dream…where I sort of, talked to Mom." Booth admitted quietly.

"As in our dead mother?"

"She came to give me advice."

"Seeley, I've been drunk before, but I've never seen ghosts."

"I told you, it was a dream. I think." He said, still unsure of what it actually was. He would probably never know. Jared didn't believe him, but wanted to hear where he was going with this.

"Well, what did she say?"

"A lot of things." He said honestly.

"She talked to you about Temperance, didn't she?" He said, venturing a guess. Booth looked at him, unable to hide his reaction. "You know that deep down, there's a piece of you that is glad that Hannah did what she did." Booth sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"I don't even know what I know anymore. The whole thing was just so…real. Even things that I forgot, like our old house, or her clothes…" Jared was envious of his brother's memory. He could barely remember their mother. Booth caught the stare and realized that Jared didn't have enough memories to dream about their mother, even if he wanted to. "She used to sing lullabies." He said, throwing his brother a bone. "You would cry and Dad would get angry but she could always make you be quiet with a song." Booth said, trying to help. "I used to think her voice had magical powers over you." Jared paused.

"The only thing I remember is her smell." He said. "She always smelled like baby powder." Booth finished the last two words with him and smiled. "I remember hanging on to her apron or in her skirts, but after that…" He didn't finish. Booth looked at his brother.

"Did I ever tell you what the last words that she ever told me were?" He asked his brother. Jared shook his head. "She kissed my forehead and she looked me in the eye and she said, 'Be good.'." Booth said as he leaned back into the couch. "It was just a simple command. She probably didn't even think twice when she said it." Jared had to bite back the sigh that threatened to emerge. That explained a lot, he thought.

"Do you want my advice?"

"No." Booth said adamantly.

"Take some time. Get over Hannah and think about what you really want. Then, when you know what it is, go get it."

"Life isn't that easy." Booth said, amazed at how foolish his brother really was if he believed that it was.

"It is if you make it." Jared argued. "Your whole life you've carried the weight of the world on your shoulders, even when people didn't ask you to. Just live your life, Seeley. Do what _you_ want for once. Be a little selfish."

"That's your advice? Be selfish?"

"For you? Yeah." He said.

OOOOO

Monday morning, Booth knew that he had to stop by the Lab to talk to Bones. He hadn't gotten in touch with her since she had dropped him off on Friday night and he needed to apologize and make things right. He knocked on her door frame and waited for her permission to enter. She glanced up in surprise at the sight of him.

"Hey." He said sheepishly, sorry for causing her to jump.

"Hi." She said, the joy at seeing him mingling with the surprise of seeing him here, so soon after… It must be business. "Do we have a case?" She asked him as she stood up, preparing to leave.

"Oh, no." He said, wondering if she even wanted to see him. "I just, I wanted to talk to you, if you have some time to spare."

"Of course." She said as she pointed to her couch. He took a seat and she joined him. "Jared took care of you, okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, thanks for that." He said.

"I didn't want you to wake up alone but I figured given your state of mind, you wouldn't want to see me or Cam so Jared was the next person on the list."

"That's actually why I came here." Booth said. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry." She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at his apology.

"For what?" She asked.

"For what?" He muttered incredulously at her cluelessness. "For Friday night." He said.

"Booth." She shook her head. "You don't have to apologize. Your behavior was completely understandable."

"Even so, you sat next to me and endured all of it, even when it wasn't directed towards you." Brennan looked down at her hands.

"Some of it was directed towards me." She said softly, knowing it was true. "And with good reason." Booth's hand immediately went to her chin. He needed to look her in the eye.

"Never." He said. "What I said, how I acted. None of that was meant for you. You're one of the best things that ever happened to me, Bones. I mean that." She stared up at him, wondering when she would stop feeling shocked by him. "Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, Booth. You would do the same thing for me. I know you would." She said, believing it fully. "Remember when I identified my mother and you brought me Chinese every night just so I wouldn't feel alone?" She smiled. "We take care of each other. It's what we do." He stared at her, really taking her in. Brennan felt the shift in his attitude towards her and she stared back just as confused. "Booth, what's really worrying you?" She asked, knowing him better than this. He leaned back and sighed.

"You would never believe me." He said, knowing he was right.

"Try me." She said.

"I had a dream…" He started reluctantly, expecting the worse reaction possible. "Have you ever seen 'It's a Wonderful Life'?" He asked.

"Yes." She said, both surprised and proud that she understood the reference. Although she was confused as to why he was bringing it up now.

"In this dream that I had, I talked to my mother." He said quickly. Brennan's face was blank as she waited for him to continue. "She basically, took me through a variety of possibilities of how my life could have gone. With or without you, dating you, not dating you…There were many possibilities."

"You talked to your mother?" She wanted to make sure she understood.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I guess it was a dream, but it just felt…really real."

"What did she say?" Booth looked surprised at her question. She knew that the dead could not speak to the living, but she knew that if her mother came to her in a dream, she would want to hold onto the delusion. She would play along, for Booth's sake.

"She likes you. She thinks you're good for me because you keep me on my toes." He smiled as he thought back to that one memory in particular. Brennan smirked, wanting to believe that it was true, despite the fact that she knew better.

"And this dream, it worried you?"

"I saw some scary things, Bones." He said, trying not to let the images flood back into his brain. "If I hadn't gotten to you in time during the Kenton case or if you hadn't been there when I was shot…" He paused. "There was some good things too, but I just, I need you to know that I believe that my life is better because I've known you and I'm not angry with you." He said honestly. Brennan felt pressure exerting on her lungs and throat. She didn't know if she was trying harder to keep breathing or stop herself from crying. The truth was she had really believed that he had a good reason to be angry with her and this past weekend, she had let the guilt from her actions sink in. Hearing that he wasn't angry was a huge relief.

"I believe the same about you." She said as she reached out her hand to hold his. He gave it to her and he squeezed hers.

"So we're okay?"

"Yes." She said succinctly.

"Good." He smiled, glad to have cleared the air.

OOOOO

Brennan stared at the bone in her hand longingly. There was a time when absolutely nothing got in the way of her concentration at work. She could put up the metaphoric steel walls in her mind and focus. However, after her meeting with Booth, she couldn't concentrate at all. He had been shaken by his experience, whatever it was and that, in turn, shook her. She had been relieved to hear that he wasn't angry with her, or at least, not angry anymore. She did worry about the effect that Hannah's leaving would have on him in the long run. His heart had been broken and she wasn't sure how many more times he could allow it to break. Would he ever get his happy ending that he wanted so badly? Would he lose his all-encompassing belief in love?

She sighed as she put down the bone in her hands. Clearly, this was not going to work. She needed to just call it a day and come in early tomorrow when she was more capable of focusing. As she removed her gloves, she headed for the door. Angela met her in the hallway, a surprised look on her face.

"Finished already? You just got started."

"I'm finding that I'm having a hard time focusing. I'm going to go home and come back tomorrow."

"Well that's understandable." Angela said.

"It is?" Brennan said, surprised by her friend's comment.

"The man you love just broke up with his girlfriend. Go home. Think things over. Get your game plan in order and when he's ready to talk again..." She suggested, as if it were the acceptable thing to do.

"Angela…" She cut her friend off.

"Bren, I'm serious. There's a reason things didn't work out with Hannah." Brennan couldn't listen to this, because in reality, there was a very small piece of her that was not only glad that Hannah was gone, but hopeful that something might finally be able to come to pass between them. She could not let that small piece gain any ground. It would just set her up for disappointment again.

"I'm going home, Ange." She said as she walked into her office and shut the door. What she really needed was a nap. She hadn't slept at all over the weekend, worried about Booth and the way he had reacted on Friday night. Maybe she would just lie down for a few minutes on the couch instead. Then she could get back to work with the right mindset. Yes, a nap would most certainly do the trick.


	4. A Melody of Passion

A/N: Sorry this one took a bit longer to update than I originally planned. I sort of rewrote the entire thing from scratch 3 or 4 times. Seems the muse was not content to leave it alone. One more chapter after this. Also, today's chapter title comes from Julie Robert's "Rain on a Tin Roof"

_Brennan found herself running down a long dark street. She didn't know why she was running, just that it was important. When she got to the end of the block, she looked around. She saw Booth's SUV. Booth! That had been the reason she was hurrying. She ran to the car and opened up the driver's side door. Inside the car, Booth was pressing his arms against his stomach, blood seeping through his shirt. _

"_Booth? What happened?" She cried as she tried to examine his injuries. _

"_Bones…" He groaned, unable to tell her how he had ended up with the bullets in his abdomen. "Please. Help me." He begged. Anyone who saw his injuries would know that there was nothing she could do, but this was Booth and she was not going to give up on him. _

"_Booth, look at me. I know that you are hurting right now but I am going to get you out of here. I promise." She felt someone tap her on the shoulder and when she turned around, Hannah was placing a gun in her hands. She looked down at the gun and when she looked up, Hannah was gone. Booth, however, was staring at the gun in her hands._

"_Bones…" He whispered, blood seeping out of the corner of his lips. "Why did you do it?" He asked. "Why did you do it, Bones?" His eyes went blank as the life slipped out of him. _

"_Booth? Booth!" But he was gone. "I'm sorry." She cried as she held his lifeless body against her own. "I'm so sorry." _

"Bones!" She sat up in terror as she looked around her office. Booth was standing over her, looking concerned. "It's okay. You are in your office. You were just having a nightmare." He said cautiously, knowing just how disorienting waking up from a nightmare could be. She didn't say anything simply threw her arms around him and squeezed. Booth was caught off-guard by the action, but he didn't let her see that. He just let her hug him.

"You were…and I couldn't save you…" She wanted to explain; why couldn't she explain? Booth pulled away and wiped a tear from her cheek. She hadn't even realized she had been crying, but now that she looked down at her hands, she saw that she was also shaking.

"It's okay, Bones. It's over." He said, hoping to comfort her with the facts. "I'm right here. I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"I don't want to lose you." She confessed.

"Hey, that's never going to happen." Booth promised as he hugged her again. She didn't look convinced. "Bones, look at me." He demanded. "You are never going to lose me." His eyes reflected the certainty of his statement.

"You really don't see it, do you?" She said. "I already have, Booth." She said, knowing it was true. "You're angry, I get that, but you've been blaming me. I keep trying to save you and either I succeed and you love me or I fail and you blame me. I'm tired of it." She said as she stood up. Booth was stunned into silence, unable to even form a sentence to stop her from leaving. "I have to go." She said as she stood up.

"Bones!" But she was out the door before he could even protest. He gave her a twenty second head start before his head kicked in and he raced after her. The last year had been such a mess, but he knew that letting her go would only make things worse. They had to sort this out once and for all.

OOOOO

Booth didn't bother knocking as he let himself in to her apartment. He found her standing in her kitchen and she did not look happy to see him.

"Go home, Booth." She said, sounding exhausted. When he made no attempts to leave, she tried again. "Please? Just go away."

"No." He said, sure of himself. She looked shocked by his dismissal of her request.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm your partner and partners are there for you when you need them, even if you don't want them around." He said, refusing to move an inch.

"Exactly, I don't want you around!" She cried as she moved into the living room, hoping to get rid of him.

"You don't mean that." He said.

"I really do. Go home!"

"No."

"What do you mean no? This is my house and I want you to leave." She said, outraged that he would refuse to listen to her.

"No." He said. "You told me on Friday that I wasn't going to be able to push you away anymore. Well, you're not going to be able to push me away anymore either. And if that means I have to sit on your couch until you are ready to talk to me, then I will. But I am not leaving."

"God, you've been gone the last year and a half!" She cried. 'Why would you stick around now when I finally want to be alone?" She asked, hoping the comment stung as much as his did. Judging by the look on his face, it did.

"Bones…"

"Go home, Booth." She told him one last time before slamming the door to her bedroom behind her. In the echoing silence that followed her outburst, Booth knew that she was right. He had been pushing her away, as much as she had ever pushed him. He also knew that his behavior was about to change. He heard her crying softly just on the other side of the door and he put his hand on the door knob, unsure if he wanted to risk opening it or not. At hearing another sniff, he turned the knob slowly and made his way inside.

She was sitting on the bed, angry tears flowing freely. He still wasn't used to seeing her cry and it felt like a tire iron to his gut. He sat down next to her and tried to wrap an arm around her but she shoved him off of her and stood up.

"No." She said as she folded her arms around herself instead. "I'm fine alone." She said, her chin jutting a little too firmly into the air.

"I know." He whispered. "I know you are." He waited a second before continuing, unsure of what he should reveal. "Bones, you have to understand. I didn't mean to push you away, I just…I couldn't handle both of you at the same time." There was no need to clarify who he was referring to. "God, I couldn't even be in the same room with you without the blue of your eyes, your perfume, that crooked way you smile when you're proud of yourself, all of those things would haunt me for the rest of the night." He admitted. "And then what? I go home to Hannah? Touch Hannah while I'm thinking of you?" He shook his head. "That couldn't happen."

"Then why were you with her?"

"Because I couldn't have you!" He cried. Brennan looked down at her hands and Booth sighed, trying to find a way to explain. "Do you know that story? About the guy who gets sent to Hell and the fruit is always just out of reach and the water is always receding when he tries to drink?"

"Tantalus?"

"Yes." He laughed at the dark and twisted appropriateness of it all. "You're tantalizing, Bones. Whenever I take a step forward, you take a step back. When I take a step back, you take a step forward." He paused as he took her in. "You are the thing that I've always wanted but have never been allowed to touch." Brennan heard the dark tones of his voice and it stirred something inside of her. She looked at him, the passion from their fighting suddenly taking a brand new turn. The tension between them pulled something from her until she finally snapped.

"Then do it." She said, making up her mind. His eyes went dark, despite the shocked look on his face. "I'm serious." She said as she unbuttoned her blouse and shoved it off her shoulders. She stood directly in front of him. "I'm tired of the games and the glances and the unspoken words, Booth. If you want me, then take me. Take me, because I can't keep doing this with you." She reached for her zipper on her pencil skirt but his hand grabbed her wrist firmly, stopping her in her tracks. They were both staring, waiting out the deafening silence, waiting for someone to make the next move. And as he held her wrist and stared into her eyes, they felt it all: the pent-up frustration, the years of sexual tension, the kindness and anger, the guilt and the passion. It roared in their ears and crackled like electricity just before a thunderstorm. With a single flick of Booth's gaze to her lips, the stalemate was broken and they were in each other's arms. Desperate, pleading kisses were scattered indiscriminately on hot flesh as clothes were torn from bodies, the only clear motivation was the never-ending need for satisfaction that had haunted them for so many years. This was not making love, this was not two becoming one. This was simply two people who needed to stop the needing.

Booth pushed her against the wall as his hands held her wrists above her head. He hovered behind her, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"Tell me you want it." He said. No matter the situation, he would never touch her if she didn't want him too. They both knew it. But there was something about him demanding permission from her. "Tell me you can't stop thinking about my cock sliding inside of you and pounding away until we can't move." Brennan let out a moan of tortured frustration as she felt his erection rubbing teasingly against her slick folds. "Tell me you don't lie awake at night, slipping your fingers into your wet pussy and fantasizing that it's my tongue." She turned her head to the side, wanting to make sure that he heard her loud and clear.

"Every night." Booth saw the strong glint of power flash in her eyes as she turned the tables on him. She knew what her words would do to him. He may have had her pinned against the wall, but he didn't have control of the situation and they both knew it. Her independence, her strength, her incessant need to be difficult, it was what simultaneously drove him nuts and made him love her. Tonight, it was what shattered his self control. He thrust himself into her sharply, causing her to cry out in surprise. He moved slowly, but deeply, wanting her to feel him. He had waited years for this; it was not going to end quickly. She was going to remember this, the same way he constantly remembered her. He wanted to haunt her, ruin her for others the way that she had ruined him. She reached behind her and clutched at his hair with her hand as he buried himself in the crook of her neck. He kissed and bit the soft white skin as he found it, wanting to both permanently mark her as his own and mar the perfect, saintly flesh that adorned her. If she wasn't perfect, maybe she wouldn't seem like the answer to all of his prayers. Maybe then he could escape her. Her cries in response were a luscious mixture of pleasure and pain and they were timed with each of his thrusts. He hadn't realized he had quickened his pace, but her sounds were calling him, setting the rhythm against his will. His hand landed on top of hers, intertwining their fingers as he pressed her palm against the wall. It was a surprisingly intimate gesture under the circumstances and it reminded her that this was still Booth. With his name on her lips, she came undone. Her release triggered his own and they both went hurtling forward before sliding to the floor in exhaustion. As they slid, reality slowly crept back in. The anger, frustration, sadness and blame slipped away and in their wake was simply two naked and vulnerable people, lying halfway in each other's arms.

"What the Hell was that?" He asked, unsure of what came over them.

"I thought it was sex." She said. "Great sex actually, although I'd be the first to admit I never expected it to happen like that."

"Me either." He said.

"So what does this mean?"

"I don't know." They both laid on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

"Do you want to sleep on it?" She asked. He was surprised by her question, but the answer came before he could filter it.

"Yeah. I do." He said. All of the emotional upheaval had made him exhausted before the sex had even begun.

"Okay then." She yawned as she stood up and started clearing decorative pillows off her bed. "We'll just talk about it later."

"Yep." He said as he joined her in turning down the sheets. "Later."

OOOOO

An hour later, Brennan awoke to find that she was cuddled up against her partner, naked. While this was at first alarming, she had to admit, it did have its advantages. She closed her eyes for a few more minutes until Booth began to stir next to her. She felt him staring so she opened her eyes and glanced over. He looked so familiar, with disheveled hair and tired eyes. She hadn't seen him wake up in years, but the memories of days of undercover cases and late night paperwork came flooding back.

"Hi."

"Hi." They stared into each other's eyes for a few more seconds before Brennan shook off the trance.

"How did you sleep?" She had no idea where the question came from, but it was something.

"Like a rock, actually." He said as he stretched. "And you?" He asked as he caught Brennan looking at his chest.

"I've never understood that expression as rocks don't actually sleep." She informed him. "But I slept well." He chuckled as he stared at her. This was his partner, his Bones. And he had just had sex with her. Holy Fuck.

"Hey Bones?"

"Hmm."

"I'm sorry."

"Again?"

"This time it's for that hickey I left on your neck." He said as he pointed to her skin. She touched it and furrowed her eyebrows before chuckling. "But for everything else too. I've made a lot of mistakes when it comes to our relationship and I'm sorry."

"I've made quite a few mistakes myself." She said. "I'm sorry for them as well."

"And now we're back to where we started this morning." He said, catching them up.

"We didn't have sex this morning. That was new." She offered.

"Yeah, definitely new." He concurred.

"And it was good, a bit dark."

"Really dark." He agreed. "I always assumed sex with you would be more…I don't know, gentle?"

"Really? I always figured we would get toe to toe during one of our bickering sessions and we'd just end up on someone's desk." She said honestly. They both got a little dazed as they pictured this. The fact that they were both naked and mere inches from each other did not help the situation at all. Then again, they had agreed to talk about things more seriously 'later' so this wasn't really breaking any rules. In fact, later could be days, weeks or even months away.

"Booth?" Brennan asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to have sex again?"

"Definitely." He said quickly as they both grabbed wildly for each other.

Later was definitely better.


	5. Coming Clean

A/N: This is the end. Thanks for reading everybody!

'Later' couldn't have been a better vocabulary choice if they had tried. Whenever they felt the pressure to define who they were, Brennan would lean over a desk and smile or Booth would charm his way into dinner and a movie and they would forget to have the entire conversation again. It was a perfect, unspoken system that suited them both just fine and they stayed in this blissful limbo for nearly two weeks before Sweets barged into Booth's office.

"You have to tell them." Sweets demanded. Booth glanced up surprised at the uninvited visitor.

"What are you talking about?" Booth asked. "And shut the door." The young man did as he was told and sat down in front of Booth's desk.

"You have to tell them about you and Dr. Brennan. If they suspect that I've been keeping this a secret, I could get fired."

"Sweets, what are you talking about?" Sweets rolled his eyes.

"Do you really think that you're fooling me? I literally wrote the book on your relationship, which should have put me a little higher up on the information food chain, by the way." He added.

"Look, Sweets…"

"Tell them before Friday or I'm telling them myself." He said sternly. Booth's face softened as he began to feel vulnerable.

"Do you think they know?" He asked. Sweets sighed as he fought the resounding 'Duh' that he wanted to respond with. He had a hard enough time being taken seriously; he didn't need to add to their pile of ammunition.

"I think that rumors travel fast, Agent Booth. And for a man who just broke up with his girlfriend, you sure have been smiling a lot." Booth frowned, immediately dispelling any smile that may have been on his lips. Sweets saw that his message had been sent so he headed back for the door.

"Hey Sweets?" He turned around. "Thanks." He nodded before opening the door and heading back towards his office. Booth sighed as he glanced out the window. Time was up.

OOOOO

Booth showed up at the lab that afternoon with a definite worrisome look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Brennan asked hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to know.

"Sweets came to my office this afternoon in a panic. He thinks he's going to get fired if the FBI finds out that we're...you know...us." He said, unsure of what exactly they were.

"How did Sweets find out?"

"He's our shrink, Bones. It wasn't going to be kept a secret for long anyway. You're not exactly subtle."

"I can be subtle." She said, offended at his suggestion.

"Please." He rolled his eyes. "You nearly mauled me in your office the other day."

"I did not!" She defended herself. "And if I did, it was only because of what you were doing first." She said. Booth smiled briefly at the memory. "Wait, if we are the ones breaking a rule, why would Sweets get punished?"

"Because he's the one put in charge of monitoring our partnership. If it gets out that he knew, and he didn't report the change to his superiors, he could actually get into some serious trouble." Brennan frowned.

"What does this mean for us?" She asked. "What do you think might happen?"

"Worst case scenario? They assign someone else to the Jeffersonian. Most likely Perotta since she was my back up." Brennan clearly did not like that idea and Booth couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at the face she made.

"And you?" She asked.

"I would go back to working alone."

"Well, that's not happening." She said definitively. "Who do we have to tell? I mean, Andrew..."

"Not Hacker." Booth said. "That guy has way too much personal interest in the success of our relationship."

"Booth, now is not the time to be the alpha male." She said, annoyed that he would even consider getting jealous of Hacker. Then she paused as his words sunk in. "Are we in a relationship?" She asked. Booth shrugged.

"Yeah, I think we are." He said nonchalantly, as if the idea had just dawned on him.

"Okay."

"Okay." They both let the awkward moment settle before Brennan went back to the task at hand.

"So, if not Andrew, then who?" She asked.

"We gotta go straight to Cullen."

"He hates me."

"No, he doesn't. He used to, maybe, but you solved the case that involved his dying kid. You don't get any more respect than that." She didn't like it, but what other choice did they have?

"Fine."

"I'll set up a meeting as soon as I can."

"Tomorrow?"

"Bones, he's the director of the FBI. He's a little busy." She sent him another stare. "Fine. I'll make sure to mention our close rate." He said. "That has to buy us 15 minutes."

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome. You can pay me back later." He said, flashing her a sinful smile.

OOOOO

Brennan stared at the clock on the wall one more time.

"Booth, I swear to God if we are late to this thing..." He emerged from his bedroom with a tie in his hands.

"You don't believe in God." He smiled his charm smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist briefly. Brennan pulled the tie out of his hands and turned around, hoping to speed up the process.

"Please be serious. This is important. Our entire partnership depends on this meeting." She said as she tightened the knot just a little too much.

"You're nervous." Booth said, surprised by the fact.

"Aren't you?"

"No."

_"No?" _She asked incredulously.

"Nope."

"And why not?"

"Come on, Bones. You said it yourself, we're don't want to be late." He said as he swept her out the door.

OOOOO 

"Good morning Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan. He's inside waiting for you." The secretary said with a smile that Brennan didn't like. Booth smiled back in return and she fought the urge to smack him in the guts.

"After you." Booth smiled and motioned for her to take the lead.

"Chivalry? Or are you just making sure that I get fed to the wolves first?" She muttered under her breath and Booth fought a smile. She really did get feisty when she was nervous.

"Why can't it be both?" He whispered as Brennan took a deep breath and stepped into the office.

"Dr. Brennan, nice to see you again." Cullen said as he sat down at his desk.

"Director Cullen, a pleasure as always." She said as she sat down across from him.

"Agent Booth, close the door behind you."

"Yes, sir." He said as he followed orders.

"So, I'm going to assume that this meeting has to do with your partnership since you both requested to be here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you have the floor." He said as he leaned back in his chair and waited.

"As you may have heard, Dr. Brennan and I are, well," he glanced at his partner looking for the right word.

"In a relationship." She preferred.

"Oh, God. Here we go again..."

"Again?" They both said as they turned to look at Director Cullen in unison.

"I know you thought you were secretive but seriously, everyone knew. The entire janitorial staff saw you break up on the front steps of the Hoover one night." He sighed. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't that lead to the two of you actually flying to the opposite ends of the earth to get away from one another? The entire Jeffersonian program shut down." Brennan turned to look at Booth.

"We were never in a relationship." She told Cullen, surprised to hear otherwise.

"Don't use semantics on me, Dr. Brennan." He sighed. "Listen, I'm going to be perfectly clear. You two are a part of the best team I have out there and somehow, even when Booth came back from the desert with a blonde journalist in tow, you two managed to act professionally, remain discreet and solve cases." He turned his attention towards Booth. "If you can do that while working with your ex-girlfriend and sleeping with a journalist, you can do anything. Just know that there will be no more running away. If you break up, take a sick day. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." Booth said with a measure of gravitas that Brennan found extremely impressive considered she couldn't even talk. "Thank you for your time." He stood up and Brennan followed him out the door. Once they were in the clear, he turned and smiled.

"See, not so scary."

"They think we are dating _again_." She repeated.

"Well..." He muttered as they made their way towards the elevator.

"Booth!"

"Relax, they were just office rumors." Booth said with a wave of his hand.

"Oh my God. You knew!" She said, accusingly. "You knew that they thought we had already dated."

"I had my suspicions. I mean, partner's therapy? Who the Hell has to participate in partner's therapy? Besides, he wasn't entirely wrong. I mean, we did sort of break up the entire team and leave them stranded before." She couldn't argue with that. "Look Bones, everything in the universe happens for a reason. Maybe we went through all of that stuff so that when we were ready, we could stay partners." He offered.

"It explains so much." She said.

"Really?" He was surprised that she would agree with his theory.

"When I came back from the Malukus, I was hit on every single time I walked through the door." She said. "They all thought I was available again."

"What?" He said, paying attention now.

"And those guys at the gym!" She said, snapping her fingers as it all fell into place.

"What guys at the gym?" Booth asked as he stopped walking. "Bones? What guys at the gym?" He called as she made her way to the parking garage. He sighed. There was never going to come a time when she wasn't trying his patience.

_She keeps you on your toes_. The words echoed in his head as if someone were standing directly beside him and he couldn't help but smile.

"Every day." He muttered to himself as he jogged to keep up with her. "Every single day."


End file.
